The Many Lessons of Westminster

What I learned from that whirlwind day

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For those of you who don’t know, 3 weeks ago I did something kind of awesome…I competed in the Master’s Agility Championship at Westminster. I know it’s been a few weeks, and you may be wondering “what gives”, but I needed some time to process the weekend. Westminster was a maelstrom of emotions unlike anything I had ever experienced. I was excited, nervous, frustrated, disappointed, exhilarated, sad, and exhausted all in one day. I needed some time to figure out where I was, what I was feeling, and how I was going to move on.

I set Westminster as a goal for Ri and I in September of 2017. He runs in a very competitive height class, and the way Westminster structures their finals (fastest by breed) means that it is one of our best shots at making the finals in a big event. I hadn’t been competing consistently, maybe 2 - 3 trials a year, and we had a lot of work to do to get qualified for the event. Over the next 14 months, I retrained my dog walk and table, competed in 20 different trials and went from Novice to Masters, thus earning our coveted entry spot. I also worked on my personal fitness and nutrition, met with a mental management coach, and started treating Agility like the sport I wanted it to be, rather than the past time it was. As you can imagine, this put quite a lot of build up and pressure on the competition day, and I worked hard on my mindset to ensure that I would walk away feeling successful no matter what.

Did it work? Yes and no.

Our first run of the day was Standard, and I created a fast exciting course plan and felt on top of the world walking it. Unfortunately, I disconnected with Ri on the start line, and was too late to realize that he was locked on to the off course jump. The rest of the run was amazing! We were fast, connected, totally in sync. He had a small pop at the weave poles where I failed to recognize that the pressure of the announcers booth would require extra support from me. But every time I watch that run I am so proud of him and how far we have come.

Our Jumpers run was a heart breaker. We would have had a perfect run if not for a freak coughing fit that caused him to miss 2 jumps. Talk about a worse place for something like that to happen. But again, I watch the videos and am so inspired and overwhelmed by gratitude at this amazing dog who I get to call my partner.

So when I say my mental training worked or didn’t what I mean was that I dealt with the disappointment much better than I previously would have in the moment. So go me! But what I also mean is that Westminster had one more lesson to teach me, and it didn’t come until this weekend. On the Sunday after Westminster, in the depths of my maelstrom, I entered a UKI trial, which I was considering my “redemption run”. It was a run that I needed to prove to myself that I’m still a good handler and trainer, despite what the results from Westminster would lead you to believe. That trial was this past weekend. That trial was the first time I have EVER stepped to the line without ring nerves. And I did it consistently…with two dogs…over 8 runs. It was also the first time I forgave myself for forgetting the course. And the first time I truly lived the ideaology of appreciating the positive in each run. It took Westminster, and all the emotions that came with it, to finally hammer these learnings home.

So I’m grateful to Westminster, and the growth it has inspired in me as a dog trainer, a handler, a competitor, an athlete, a coach, and a human. And for all those reasons, we’ll be working on our PACH, with an eye to attending again next year!